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Investigators showed that natural killer cells in secondary lymphoid organs from chronically SIV from African green monkeys-infected African green monkeys were frequently CXCR5+ and entered and persisted in lymph node follicles throughout the follow-up. These follicles were strongly positive for IL-15, which was primarily presented in its membrane-bound form by follicular dendritic cells. [Nat Med]
Abstract

While the removal of apoptotic M. tuberculosis (Mtb)-infected cells, or efferocytosis, is considered beneficial for host defense, little is known about Mtb-infected necrotic neutrophils. Investigators found that Mtb induces necrosis of human neutrophils in an ESX-1-dependent manner, and neutrophil-produced reactive oxygen species drive this necrosis. [Cell Host Microbe]
Full Article | Graphical Abstract

The authors analyzed cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and explored predicting factors of severe M. pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) in children. Retrospective analysis was performed on 150 children with MPP or bronchial foreign body admitted in to the author’s hospital. [Sci Rep]
Full Article

The author discusses the importance of innate immune receptors, in particular Toll-like receptors, in mediating the protective effect of pathogens and commensals on autoimmunity. [Nat Rev Immunol]
Abstract

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the immunology of infectious disease research field.

Pasteur International Joint Unit will develop a program combining the study of the natural evolution of viruses with synthetic biology to understand and better combat emerging infectious diseases. [Institut Pasteur]
Press Release

The Infectious Disease Research Institute and American Leprosy Missions announced the start of a Phase I clinical trial in humans for a promising leprosy vaccine candidate – the first vaccine developed specifically for leprosy. [Infectious Disease Research Institute]
Press Release

Gilead Sciences, Inc. announced the second round of recipients of its HIV cure grants program. This new commitment will provide $7.5 million to support five additional HIV cure research initiatives led by top academic institutions and focused on translational research and efficacy studies in preclinical models. [Gilead Sciences, Inc.]
Press Release

The threatened Central European University in Budapest has been dealt a blow in its efforts to avert possible closure in Hungary. The country’s parliament voted to postpone, for a year, a decision that would allow the university to keep operating there. [Nature News]
Editorial

Revamped definitions of scientific units are on their way. In the biggest overhaul of the international system of units since its inception in 1960, a committee is set to redefine four basic units — the ampere, the kilogram, the kelvin and the mole — using relationships to fundamental constants, rather than abstract or arbitrary definitions. [Nature News]
Editorial

One of China’s most prestigious universities plans to give some articles in newspapers and posts on major social-media outlets the same weight as peer-reviewed publications when it evaluates researchers. [Nature News]
Editorial

As Japan heads towards a national election, scientific leaders worry that the outcome will do little to address long-standing concerns about the country’s deteriorating research landscape. They say that a decline in funding and a shift away from basic research has undermined Japan’s capacity to compete against both established scientific powerhouses and emerging ones such as China. [Nature News]
Editorial